Spike-extractor.



Patented Aug. I3, |901.

E. E. WELSH.

SPIKE EXTBAGTOR.

(Application filed my 7, 19015 (No Modal.)

Witnesses. rw

UNITED STATES PATENT FEICE.

ELMER E. WELSH, OF LAWRENCE, KANSAS.

SPIKE-EXTRACTO R.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 680,300, dated August 13,1901.

Application iiled May 7, 1901. Serial No. 59,157. (No model.)

.To @ZZ whom, t may concern,.-

Beit known that I, ELMER E WELsH, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Lawrence, in the county of Douglas and State of Kansas, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Spike-Extractors; andI do hereby declare that the following is afull, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others to makev and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification.

The objects of my invention are, first, to increase the power of the lever actuating the devices for opening and closing the spikegrasping jaws, and, second, to adapt the increased power'to an adj usted position of the spike-grasping jaws.

The invention consists in the novel construction and combination of parts, such as will be rst fully described, and specifically pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a view in perspective of a spike-extractor, showing the invention applied thereto. Fig. 2 is a rear view of the spike-extractor, showing in detail the jaw-operating lever, the main bar, the bellcrank lever, and the novel devices upon the bar for increasing power and adjusting the grasping position of the jaws. Fig. 3 is a detail broken View of the separate parts4 of the rod connected with the bell-crank lever, showing the adj usting-sleeve in section. Fig. 4 is a sectional view of the sleeve.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures of thedrawings.

Referring to the drawings, A represents the main operating-lever of the improved spike-extractor, which consists of a vflat bar of the required length to afford leverage in extracting the spike, the forward and rear edges of which bar from the jaws upwardly being inclined inwardly, thus decreasing the width of the upper end of the bar for convenient manipulation.

B B' are the respective stationary and movable spike-grasping jaws, which are of the ordinary construction. The stationary jaw B is provided with a body portion b, which .extends upwardly from the jaw a considerable distance and is cut away transversely or end. The other end of said bolt extends through the body of the movable jaw, and upon the said end ot the bolt is a nut b, which is countersunk at 197 in the rear portion of the body of the movable jaw. The under or bearing sides of each jaw B B are curved in the arc of a circle, as at o8, and the ends of said jaws extend a short distance beyond the front and rear sides of the body portions b 'b3 of said jaws. The portions so extended beyond the front side of the said body portions form the spike-grasping portions b9 b9 of said jaws and as usually constructed are depressed rearwardly, as at bx, to receive the head of the spike.

With the rear end of the body of the movable jaw B is rigidly connected the lower end c of the jaw operating or vibrating lever C, the upper end of which lever extends a short distance above the halved portions of the bar A and the body b of the stationary jaw and is bent in a curved line laterally and extended a slight distance beyond the plane of the side of bar A and to a position nearly in a vertical plane with the outer side of the movable jaw B'. C is a longitudinal slot d.

D is a bell-crank lever which is arranged in position upon bar A directly above the upper end of the vibrating lever` C and is provided with a circular bearing or pivot d,which enters a socket d2 in the rear vside of bar A. In the lowerarm of lever D is a pivot d4, which enters the slot c in the upper end of lever C. In the upper arm of lever D is an opening d5.

E represents the power-transmitting lever for actuating the opening and closing of the movable jaw B', which consists of a short bar the upper end of which is curved outwardly in a slight degree. Upon the rear side of the bar A, at a point about one-third'the distance downwardly from the upper end of said bar, are separate lugs e e, which are rigidly con- In the upper end of the lever IOO nected with the bar and extend a short disrance -outwardly therefrom. Between the lugs e e is pivotally connected or fulcrumed the lower end of the power-conveying lever E,the pivot e extending transversely through said lugs at a point from the bar A toward the outer ends of said lugs. In the lower end of lever E, a short distance above the pivotal point of said lever, is an opening e2.

F represents the jaw adjusting device, which consists of two rodsff of nearly-equal length. The upper end of rod fis bent at right angles and extended through the opening e2 in the power-transmitting lever E, from one side of the lever, and also bent downwardly at f4 upon the opposite side of the lever, as seen in Fig. 2. The lower end of the rod is provided with a right -hand screwthread f2. The lower end of rod f is'bent at right angles and extended through the opening d5 in the upper arm of the bell-crank lever D. The upper end of the rod f is provided with a left-hand screw-thread f3.

G represents an adjusting nut or sleeve which is provided with internal right and left hand screw-threads and which is connected with the respective lower end of rod f and the upper end of rod f. The outer side f5 of the sleeve G is made hexagonal in cross-section, so as to readily be seized and turned by the hand or an instrument suitable for the purpose.

In operation the free end of lever E is moved outwardly from the bar A into the position indicated in dotted lines in Fig. l, which action of the said lever causes the lower arm of the bell-crank 'lever D to move the upper end of lever C inwardly to a position attained by placing the grasping parts b9 b9 of said jaws upon each side of the spike to be drawn and then adjusting the nut or sleeve G so that the inner ends of said parts will grasp thev sides ofthe spike below the head of the spike. In this position the free end of' lever El is moved upwardly by the hand,

the tension on the rods ff" closing the parts l of the jaws against the spike and as soon as the upper pivoted end of rod j'passes in the arc of a circle and concentric with the iiulcrum or pivot e of lever E'A and to a position nearer the bar A than the fulcrum or pivot e of said lever, and consequently causing the grasping parts b9 b9 of the jaws to be slightly embedded in the sides 7c of the spike under the strong leverage obtained on lever E, and also under the leverage locking the lever in position against the side of bar A, the resulting power of the grasp of the jaws B B in the spike holding the lever firmly against the said bar. In this movement the pivotal upper end of the adj ustably-connected rods ff passes the fulcrum of the lever E in the direction of the main lever and relieves the crushing strain on the jaws, which'is of great importance to obviate, as this strain has the tendency when the power is applied to extract the spike to break the jaws. The bar A is then rocked backwardly upon the bear- Lug-surface be b8 of the jaws B B and the spike readily extracted. The free end of lever E is then moved outwardly from bar A and the jaw B opens to the proper extent to seize a spike of a corresponding thickness. Should the grasping position of the jaws B B be required for the extraction of bolts having a thickness greater in cross-section than the spike or nails with a smaller thickness incross-section, the sleeve G is turned on the rods f f to meet each emergency, after which the bolts or nails of the same thickness are successively grasped and extracted without further adjustment of the sleeve G on the rods ff', the action of which, as is readily observed, increases and decreases the length of the combined rods f f The connection of rod f near the fulcrum of lever E aords a leverage of great efficiency and power upon the movable jaw and forces the steel-tempered parts of the jaws into the spike.

The lever E may be connected with the forward edge of the main operating-lever A instead of the rearedge, as shown, if preferred.

In the Letters Patent No. 672,927, granted to me on the 30th day of April, 1901, an adj usting-lever is employedto close the jaws, upon which is a tooth engaging with a notched segment-plate. In each adjustment of the tooth with the notched plate there is a space between contiguous notches, over which the tooth passes without locking, and this point is frequently the one at which the tooth should bite, and in placing the tooth back of the required positionl an unnecessary strain ensues upon both bar and the jaws. In the present invention the sleeve can be adjusted to a hairs breadth. Hence strains are eliminated l and the jaws can be set to better advantage.-

The invention is applied to the various j forms of spike-grasping implements,- and is j especially of great service upon the spike-exgtractors, capable of being manipulated between adjacent track-rails where the space is limited for operation. Such modifications of the invention may be' employed as are within the scope of the invention.

Having fully described my invention, what I now claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In an implement for extracting spikes, &c., the combination with a main operatinglever and pivoted spike-grasping jaws upon said lever of a separate lever operating one of said jaws lugs rigidly connected with and extending outwardly from one side of the main lever, and a power-conveying lever piv- TIO oted at its lower end in the outer ends of said lugs and an adjustable connecting device pivotally connected at one end with the powerconveying lever and concentric with its fulcrum and having said pivotal end movable in the are of a circle past said fulcrum in the direction of the main lever and also pivotally connected at the other end with the lever operating one of said jaws.

2. In an implement for extracting spikes, dto., the combination with separate xed and movable spike-grasping jaws of a main operatinglever connected with the body of the fixed jaw and a vibrating lever connected with the body of the movable jaw lugs rigidly connected with one side of the main lever and extending outwardly therefrom and a power- ELMER E. WELSHa Witnessesg' I ARTEMUs WELS-H,

J. M. SPENCER. 

